I went down a somewhat winding road to come across this production designer, as I often do, browsing the internet. An amazing building called ‘Desert House’ by Kendrick Bangs Kellogg made me think of all the awesome production design seen in the James Bond films. I went looking and found some really gorgeous sketches by the British-German production designer, Ken Adam. He has won 2 and been nominated for 3 oscars.
This room screams espionage to me. There’s something very Soviet Union-esque about it.
I have to say that I’m not really a fan of the Pyramid Control Room as it appears on-screen. In the concept art, it looked futuristic and modern with the typical glass and steel aesthetic. The abundance of screens makes it looks quite messy.
Also, the over-reflecting floor makes it difficult to feel the space and the layout, and simply reflects the already copious screens.
Something different about this concept art is that 1) it’s in colour, and 2) it’s less like an engineer’s drawing as the other’s are, and has quite an odd quality to it – where the perspective is a little off. Notice the stairs leading up on the left side of the drawing.
Another incredible set brought from imagination to the page, and finally, to real life, by the magnificent Ken Adam.
The sheer scale of this set is really awesome. the stone detail merger with the smooth concrete and bits and pieces of metal fits the aesthetic of the ‘villain lair’ really well. It also adds to the hidden quality of the operation.
Fort Knox is of course a real place, but the public, and even US Presidents don’t know what it looks like on the inside. Ken Adam had the task of designing part of it himself.
Once again, Adam adapts his concept art almost exactly as it was drawn.
All of his drawings are very similar in style, yet the final sets all stand apart as their own unique works of art. I think that is a feat worth mentioning.
EthanButler • ProductionDesign 